


staring (five times)

by atlantisairlock



Category: The Heat (2013)
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Getting Together, Happy Ending, Not Canon Compliant, Swearing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-25
Updated: 2013-12-25
Packaged: 2018-01-06 03:04:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,095
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1101628
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/atlantisairlock/pseuds/atlantisairlock
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Five times Shannon caught Sarah staring and one time she stared back.</p>
            </blockquote>





	staring (five times)

The first time, Sarah's watching her with a pensive, confused expression in her boss' office and Shannon's doing a very comprehensive search around the room for his balls. She never fails to be equal parts amazed and disgusted at how gutless the man is. The search is much more relentless as per usual because Sarah Ashburn rakes on Shannon's nerves in a way she doesn't remember experiencing before, and when she's done making a point of looking under the filing cabinet Shannon looks up to see Sarah staring. She can't help but snap. "What the hell are you staring at, Ashburn?"

Sarah raises her eyebrows briefly and gestures almost unconsciously towards Shannon herself, but shrugs and turns back to her boss. "What is she looking for, exactly?"

Shannon almost laughs when he reluctantly grates out, "she's looking for my balls."

The staring recommences with twice the intensity. Shannon finds that she doesn't care. Much.

 

 

The second time, they're in Shannon's dingy little apartment arming themselves after their little chat with Tatiana and her mother. Shannon can't help but feel pleased that Sarah looks so wowed by her collection of weapons, and is almost impressed when the agent can identify the weaponry in the fridge - or what used to be a fridge. When she's done shoving a few rifles that look like they're about to fall right out back into the compartment, she looks up and sees Sarah staring at her, with an expression that can't really seem to decide whether it's stunned, terrified, disturbed, impressed or - hey, can it really be? - grudgingly respectful. 

"Enough with the gawking, you look like a fucking bird or something," Shannon says disapprovingly and prods her with the butt of her rifle, which knocks Sarah out of her reverie as she jumps. "Right. Okay."

Shannon locks the door of her place behind her and decides to think that all that she saw in the agent's countenance was that grudging respect.

 

 

The third time, they're drowning their sorrows in the bar and they clash their jugs of beer together while perched on the pool table, and Sarah's mug all but shatters in her hand and all of it ends up on the floor, glass, beer and all. Sarah stares blankly down at her cut hand oozing blood before staring back up at Shannon, who makes a noise somewhere in between a groan and a snort and a laugh and drags her to get her hand bandaged up before it gets infected with gangrene or some shit like that. 

The whole way through, Sarah just stares at Shannon with a look of wonder and some bafflement on her face. Probably addled by all the alcohol she's been drinking (which really is a lot). She doesn't stop there - undaunted by her wounded hand she goes after more shots throughout the night. Sarah ends up drunker than Shannon's ever believed she could be. The sight of Ashburn half-draped over the edge of a bartop, drooling and eyes blank, is quite something to reconcile with the prim, proper woman who looks like she could have walked out of a midnight rerun of Law and Order. 

The way Sarah stares at her when she wakes up the next morning is more panic and horror than anything, as compared to the previous night. Quite amusing - until Sarah's car blows up in front of them and... everything just about goes to shit.

 

 

The fourth time, it's at the hospital after Jason's been severely roughed up and admitted. Shannon can't even  _look_ at her, can't look at her as a friend and partner when Sarah Ashburn is the main reason why her brother's lying there, comatose, injured. She  _knows_ that her real enemy are the drug lords - her real enemy here is Larkin. But she's terrified that Jason isn't going to make it, she's so scared and she doesn't know how to deal with that after being fearless for too long. So she shuts off and essentially tells Sarah to just  _fuck off -_ but every step away from her, she can feel Sarah's hurt stare burning into her as she approaches her family, tells them she'll avenge Jason. No matter what.

She feels the sear of Sarah's stare all the way back home, and she can't shake it. Shannon gets the feeling she ought to say she's sorry, but then she thinks of Sarah telling Jason all that shit over the phone and her brother in the hospital bed and... she can't.

But she misses her. And somehow, that scares her even more.

 

 

The fifth time, she's shoving that stupid orange cat into its box to bring it back to its owner, who's probably worried sick - fucking hell, dumbass Ashburn and her stupid cat - and she looks up and catches Sarah staring at her... in a  _different_ way. It's more tender, more affectionate, more... loving. 

"Thank you," Sarah whispers, grabbing her wrist, and her voice is an auditory representation of that gaze in her eyes. This time it's so much less of a stare and more of a... Shannon can't describe it. But she knows she never wants to look away. 

When Sarah kisses her they pretty much completely forget about the cat, and this time, Sarah doesn't stare - she just closes her eyes and they hold each other for what feels like an instant and forever in the same moment. 

 

 

For how untraditional they are as a couple, they have a traditional garden wedding. Sarah doesn't have any family so it's just Shannon's parents and her brothers and their girlfriends and the sole boyfriend, and Jason holds their cat on his lap while they walk down the aisle. Sarah's the one waiting because she doesn't have anyone to walk her down and give her away and she stares, she just stares the whole way through with a look that says  _I'm so dazzled_ and  _christ this is perfect_ and  _I love you_ all at once. Sarah insisted on the suit and she got the fucking suit and damn, she looks beautiful in it. 

"You take care of my little girl," her father says gruffly and Shannon rolls her eyes, muttering "I'm not little any more!" but she doesn't protest as her father presses her hand into Sarah's, and her wife-to-be gives her a small half-smile, not taking her eyes off her.

"Hey," Shannon whispers, too quiet for anyone else to hear. "What're you fucking staring at, Ashburn?"

Sarah laughs back, low and loving, answering honestly. "You."

Shannon squeezes her hand. "Yeah." She nods, because she is. "Me too." 


End file.
